HER SECRET PAST

There was a lot that Carl didn?t know about his new wife. He suspected, based on the way Francis had talked about her previous husband and then changed the subject, that she might have been abused. Francis's previous husband had abused her all right, but only to a small degree physically. Most of the abuse had been of a verbal nature. Try as she might, nothing ever seemed to please him. In response, Francis had taken up drinking during the day while her husband was at work. At first, Francis had taken sips from her husband?s stock. The sips had become gulps. When he had begun noticing that his supply was being depleted and had complained, Francis had promised to stop. She stopped drinking her husband?s liquor, and began purchasing her own. Before long, thinking that she might become an alcoholic, her husband forbade her to keep alcohol in the house. Then he began searching through the cabinets, under the bed, even in the garage to make sure that she wasn?t hiding any. With an ?I?ll show you? attitude, Francis decided that she would start going to bars. On her own, Francis had been afraid that she might become dependent on alcohol. Because of that, she set a rule for herself?she would only go to bars in mid-afternoon. That way, she wouldn?t have time to become drunk before she had to get home in time to prepare supper for her husband. On her second visit to a bar, a man sat down on the stool next to her. At this time, Francis was still naive as to what men would think of an unescorted woman going into a bar, and his boldness caught her by surprise. Though there were other patrons seated at the bar, there were several empty stools he could have chosen without sitting close to someone else. At first, Francis pretended to be unaware of his presence. When Francis finally chanced a glance at him, he smiled and asked if he could sit next to her. He looked nice, Francis decided. She estimated his age as 28, maybe 30. Trying to act indifferent, she shrugged and said it looked like he already was sitting next to her. He offered to buy her a drink. Francis had finished one drink and was near the bottom on her second. She was already feeling a little tipsy. Another drink would put her over her self-imposed limit, but to be sociable and keep him around, Francis accepted. The conversation went well. His name was Jerry. Before long, he suggested that they move to a booth for more comfort. Francis agreed but said that she needed to visit the lady?s room first. He smiled and said that he would do the same. She jokingly asked if he meant that he would visit the lady?s room too, and he said no, the lady?s room had a sign on the door that said "Whoa, men." She laughed and headed off. He apparently beat her to the restroom and back because he was seated on his stool when she returned. Francis received a surprise when he slid off the stool and stood beside her. Even with low heels, she was looking down at him. In high school she had always dated boys who were taller. Her husband stood almost a foot taller. As Jerry touched her shoulder and guided her across the dance floor to a booth, she decided that it didn?t matter if he was shorter, after all, they were 17494 1.84/512345